Ruckomechi Camp - January 2010
05 Feb 2010
Vegetation, Landscape and the Zambezi River
January was an extremely warm and humid month, with very little rain. Temperatures often exceeded 40°C (104°F) in camp. We had to sit back and watch the Zambian escarpment get continually rained upon - while we remained dry, as if there was an invisible barrier between us.
The good news is that the long dry spell seems to have passed at last. We received some good rain over the past week, which brought some much-needed respite from the heat and the dryness. The rivers on the concession are flowing, turning the camp into an island. The Charara River behind Ruckomechi is flowing strongly, and the Zambezi is high and quite dirty, as a result of its tributaries now flowing from inland.
Wildlife
The wildlife sightings were great until the rains set in, and now a lot of the game has disappeared inland leaving the odd herd of impala and waterbuck and a lone elephant bull. With the roads impassable at this time of year, we expect the sightings to drop significantly. Luckily, we're not open to guests at the moment. By the time the guests start arriving again in May the roads will be dry, and the wildlife abundant!
Some exciting sightings this month included a leopard spotted in an albida tree near the staff village early one morning. It seemed to be very relaxed and undeterred by the staff waking up early for their duties. We have also had a pair of lion, presumably mating, on the outskirts of camp one night. The following morning they had disappeared into the adrenalin grass and haven't been seen since.
Pierce, the very relaxed elephant cow who often spends a lot of time in the vicinity of camp has given birth to a young female calf. This was very exciting news as we have enjoyed watched her previous calf, Husher, grow up. They spent a lot of time around camp and we often watched with great humour and delight as the youngster tried and tested his resolve against the staff, some egrets and various other inhabitants of the camp.
Birding
The birding has been good again this month and we have made an effort to see what's really out there. 141 species were recorded this month and some highlights included a great sighting of a Peregrine Falcon which we were able to drive right up to and get some great photos of. A walk inland into the mopane woodland resulted in some good sightings of a White-backed Night-Heron, Black-winged Stilts, and a Knob-billed Duck nesting in a hole in a tree. The Coucals have had chicks and the camp is often filled with low whooping calls as the youngsters flutter around in the thick undergrowth.
Camp Staff
The majority of the Ruckomechi team have been away on leave over January or guiding in Hwange for a change of surroundings and an opportunity to hone skills and learn more about the endless marvels of the natural world. Graeme, Alistair, Johnny and Clea have been getting stuck into the off-season tasks. We welcome Sean Hind to the Ruckomechi team; Sean joins us from Spurwing Island in Kariba and we look forward to having him on board with us. We also welcome Lloyd Mushure, who has worked for Wilderness in Zimbabwe before, and his wife Lindy.
We will anchor down as the rain sets in and look forward to letting you know what February brings to us here at Ruckomechi.
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